October 27, 2023

South Korea launches massive cattle vaccination effort to curb LSD outbreak

In response to the first outbreak of lumpy skin disease (LSD) in mid-October, South Korea has initiated an ambitious vaccination campaign aimed at inoculating four million cattle, Aju Business Daily reported.

The government anticipates that the infection rate of the highly contagious animal disease will decrease as cattle develop antibodies following vaccination.

Typically, LSD outbreaks occur during the summer and early autumn when temperatures are high, and the atmosphere is humid. While most cattle can acquire lifelong immunity after recovering from LSD, many farmers opt to use vaccines as a preventive measure. Until the first reports of LSD emerged in mid-October 2023, there had been no official outbreak of the disease.

The government's emergency headquarters for LSD control has decided to procure additional vaccines to halt the initial spread of the disease. Approximately 1.3 million vaccine doses will be procured by October 28, with an additional 2.7 million doses scheduled for acquisition by October 31.

"We plan to complete the vaccination at every cattle farm by early November as soon as LSD vaccines are brought into South Korea," said Kwon Jae-han, the head of the agriculture ministry's agricultural innovation policy bureau. During the vaccination campaign, all cattle transportation will be temporarily suspended.

As of October 25, a total of 29 LSD cases have been reported in South Korea, while seven cases are currently under investigation for possible LSD infection. An epidemiological inquiry is also underway to identify the source of the outbreak and assess the likelihood of foreign disease-carrying insects being introduced into South Korea via air currents or carrier insects arriving at ports.

-      Aju Business Daily